The Coastal Table and Nasturtium Butter

Here's a book that was made for summer: The Coastal Table. In it are seasonal recipes and beautiful photos from the farms and shores of southern Massachusetts. I met author Karen Covey at the Eat Boutique holiday market in Boston last December, where we were promoting our respective books. In a show of local author solidarity and a mutual appreciation of local foods, we each bought a copy of the other's book. I'd been holding off on cooking from it until the good, fresh produce of summer arrived, and, what do you know, here it is!

The school garden is full of edible nasturtium blossoms in bright, sunshiny colors right now. I love using these beautiful flowers in salads or as a garnish, but I've never used them in any other capacity. That's why I decided to start with the recipe for roasted fish with nasturtium butter. This unusual compound butter has delicate bursts of lemon, salt, and the fresh, peppery taste of nasturtiums, which taste a bit like radishes. And if you know anything about radishes, then you know how well they go with butter and salt. This compound butter is a nice way to add a little flavor and color to a simple piece of fish, roasted or grilled. When the butter melts, little ribbony flecks of flower petals are scattered all over the top of the fish like confetti. Hooray summer!

I'm excited to cook more recipes from this book as the season progresses. The beach plum mojito looks divine, as does the chilled sweet corn soup with lobster. I also have my eye on her baked eggs and bacon jam. Since I think this is a book you guys will like, Union Park Press has offered to give away one copy of The Coastal Table to one lucky reader. To be entered to win, add a comment to this post telling me what you like to do with nasturtiums, or what kinds of other edible flowers you find uses for, or just tell me what you're looking forward to eating this summer, flowers be damned. This raffle will close Thursday 7/10 at 10 p.m. EST. Good luck!



Roasted Cod with Lemon Nasturtium Butter   

The flavors here are simple and delicate, so make sure your fish is exceedingly fresh. Same with your butter. If you don't have access to nasturtiums, you can substitute a tablespoon or two of your favorite fresh herbs, like Italian parsley, tarragon, and chives, well chopped.

12 nasturtium flower petals
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
Zest from 1 lemon
Kosher or sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
(4) 4-ounce pieces of cod, haddock, or halibut, each about 1-1/2-inches thick

Swirl the flowers in a large bowl of cold water and gently swirl them around to release any dirt. Remove the flowers from the water and place them on a clean tea towel or paper towel until completely dry.

Place the softened butter, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Finely chop the nasturtium petals and add them to the bowl. Gently mix until everything is well combined, with visible flecks of flowers throughout. Transfer the butter mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and roll into a log, twisting up both ends to enclose. Refrigerate the butter until firm, at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the fish in a large baking dish and add about 2 tablespoons of water to the dish. Roast uncovered until the fish is opaque and cooked through, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the butter from the refrigerator and cut 4 slices from the log.

Transfer the fish to a plate lined with paper towels to remove any excess moisture, then transfer to a serving platter or individual plates. Set a slice of butter on top of each piece of fish. Serve warm.

Reserve the remaining butter well-wrapped for another use (like spread on good French bread with sliced radishes).

Source: Adapted from The Coastal Table by Karen Covey

Local Sources:
Butter: Kate's of Maine, Old Orchard Beach, ME
Nasturtiums: My garden, Waltham, MA

Comments

[Trish]

I've not done anything with flowers in food. Other than lavender in lemonade. I've had Nasturtiums served to me in a salad before and had to be told that they were actually edible. This cookbook sounds like it has such interesting recipes...

[Becky]

I have decorated a cake with roses and made tea with rose hips. I have always wanted to candy violets for chocolate cupcakes and utilize them other ways. This recipe looks amazing! I love trying new things in the kitchen.

[Samantha Plotkin]

I like violets to finish a pretty pudding or desert. I haven't experimented too much with other flowers but would love to try.

[christina]

This sounds lovely. I have a friend with a Jersey cow who gives me her extra cream. I've made lots of butter lately but I'd love to try mixing in something special. As for this summer -- I'm most excited to eat seafood in Maine!

[Carol]

My neighbor's mom who was from Italy used to batter-dip the flowers from zucchini plants and fry them. Nowadays it is not uncommon but that was the first time I'd heard of it. I've seen my daughter decorate a cake with nasturtiums and it was beautiful. I am growing bee balm and lemon balm, both of which can be used to brew tea. I have seen recipes calling for rose water; that is on my list of things to try.

[Janet]

I'm looking forward to steamers!

Did you see that the Waltham farmer's market has a fishmonger?

[snippyscissors]

i'm looking forward to freshly caught lake perch and sunfish, possibly with nasturtium butter if i can find a nasturtiums, which is doubtful in the wilds of northern wisconsin, but i'll try! i need new simple fish ideas since the traditional, gluteny fish preparations are a no-go for me. i'm sure i can improvise with other ingredients, focusing on the butter as a consolation prize for the lack of flour!

[Deb W.]

Summer means grilling everything possible and a wealth of goodness from my CSA share!

[Fredda]

Mmmm. This recipe looks great! I never even heard of nasturtiums before this post. So little time, so much to learn.

[Blaine]

I haven't really dabbled in the edible flowers. But I am all about summer tomatoes.

[Judith Flynn]

I have used chive flowers in salad and nasturturtiums for salads. Love doing this.
Love summer with its vibrant colors and tasty veggies.

[Cheryl S.]

Honestly, I can't imagine eating a flower! Interesting though. I love summer for watermelon with the juice dripping down your chin, homemade lemonade, picnic salads and ICE CREAM!

[Holly]

Summer eats to look forward to? It's a long list. :) Strawberries and fresh peaches always say summer to me, and so do my mom's fried pumpkin blossoms. Cherries, fried clams, ice cream treats, kale salad, tabouli, pesto, tomatoes warm from the sun, peanut butter-banana smoothies for breakfast, iced tea, fresh limade, scallops, corn on the cob, anything grilled. . . .

[Tammy]

The winner of the raffle, as chosen by random.org, is #7 snippyscissors. Congratulations! I'll be in touch.